Starting Sept. 3, East State Street will be limited to one lane in each direction as another company relocates underground utility infrastructure in advance of a highway reconstruction project in Geneva.
The lane closures will generally occur from Route 25 to East Side Drive. Verizon's contractor plans to close the westbound curb lane this week until early October to perform utility work, weather permitting. AT&T's contractor began a more extensive utility project in August in the eastbound curbside lane of Route 38, which is expected to continue into 2026.
Both center lanes of the state highway will remain open during construction. Motorists should expect delays and may want to consider alternate routes. Drivers should use caution when driving through the work zone and allow extra time to reach their destination.
Nicor Gas also announced they will begin its utility relocations along East State Street starting the week of Sept. 8. While the Nicor relocations are expected to continue into early 2026, the project will not require any additional lane closures along East State Street since Nicor will start at Route 25 and continue east, following the existing closure already established for AT&T's crews in the curbside eastbound lane.
With three utility companies actively working on the state highway, the City's upper public parking, 110 E. State St., will be shut down and used as a staging area for construction crews. The parking lot closure will begin Sept. 8 and continue into next year. Other utility companies may need to perform similar work in the coming months.
The Illinois Department of Transportation plans to rebuild East State Street from Glengarry Drive to the Fox River. The multi-year project encompasses roadway widening, streetscape enhancements, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, new street lighting, and water main/storm drainage infrastructure improvements.
Construction will not begin until utility relocations are complete. Utility work will require both intermittent short-term and possibly long-term traffic lane closures along various stretches of the highway in 2025 and early 2026.
The full East State Street reconstruction project is now tentatively expected to start in spring 2026 and be completed in late 2027, with punch list items to be finished the following year. The timeline is dependent on how quickly the utility relocations are resolved.